Magneto-resistive memory (hereinafter “magnetic memory”) is considered a promising technology for next generation non-volatile memory. Potential features include, but are not limited to, fast switching, high switching cycle endurance, low power consumption, and extended unpowered archival storage.
The spin-transfer torque (STT) magnetic memory is one known technology for magnetic memory. The STT magnetic memory generally has an addressable array of STT bitcells, each STT bitcell having an STT magnetic memory element that includes a “free” magnetization layer that is switchable between two stable, mutually opposite magnetization states. One of the two states is an alignment parallel (P state) to a magnetization of a fixed layer, and the other is opposite, or anti-parallel (AP state), to the fixed magnetic layer. The electrical resistance of the STT magnetic memory element is lower in the P state than in the AP state, which enables reading that state. STT bitcells can be arranged in a row-column array, with address decoding and access circuitry, to form STT random access memory (STT-MRAM).
Factors considered in STT-MRAM design include thermal budget, as well as a preference, in various applications, for compatibility with certain known techniques and conventions used in designing and processing integrated circuit (IC) chips. One example design convention that is known in the IC arts is “back end of processing” or “BEOL.”